Jeff Lebby wasn’t anticipated to set the world on hearth in his first season at Mississippi State, however he was a minimum of anticipated to not be run out of his house stadium by Toledo.
That is precisely what occurred on Saturday night time, because the Rockets had their approach with the Bulldogs in a dominant 41-17 victory. Mississippi State by no means led in Saturday’s contest and solely scored three factors in a primary half that noticed Toledo take a 28-3 lead into the locker room.
Not even a halftime break might key the Bulldogs again in, as Toledo scored throughout the first 5 minutes of the third quarter to take a 35-3 lead. A 41-17 remaining rating burned into the scoreboard at Davis-Wade Stadium when the clock hit zeros, leaving many Mississippi State followers questioning how the Bulldogs acquired right here.
After the premature passing of legendary coach Mike Leach, Zach Arnett was tapped to be the top coach of the Bulldogs in 2023. Mississippi State’s 2023 marketing campaign was abysmal — a 5-7 season led to Arnett’s firing after simply 10 video games as head coach.
To be honest, no person anticipated a lot from the Bulldogs in 2023. In any case, Arnett was largely seen as a placeholder till the Bulldogs discovered their subsequent everlasting possibility at head coach.
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was chosen to fill that position, however via three video games, the on-field product has arguably gotten worse than it was at any level final fall.
A 30-23 loss in opposition to Arizona State in Week 2 might have put the writing on the wall, as late scores made the Bulldogs loss look a lot nearer than it really was, however Saturday’s defeat was the sort that would activate the burner underneath Lebby’s seat.
Firing a first-time head coach in his maiden season — or after three video games, as some followers have referred to as for — could be absurd, however Mississippi State followers are rightfully pissed off.
Saturday’s recreation wasn’t even remotely aggressive and if the Bulldogs cannot sustain with a MAC crew, how unhealthy will issues get once they play the likes of Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri?
All 5 of these groups are on Mississippi State’s schedule in an eight-game span, with extra SEC matchups in opposition to Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas on faucet.
Solely a Nov. 2 matchup in opposition to Massachusetts looks like a certain victory for Lebby, however after Saturday’s loss, not even that is a assure.
If Lebby desires to into Yr 2 with out feeling like his job is on the road each week, he should discover a method to string collectively wins. A winnable house matchup with Florida looms on Sept. 21, nevertheless it’ll take a fair proportion of miracles for the Bulldogs to succeed in a bowl recreation.
